Publication Date:
2013-12-27
Description:
We present multi-epoch Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) H 2 O maser observations towards the massive young stellar objects (YSOs) VLA 2 and VLA 3 in the star-forming region AFGL 2591. Through these observations, we have extended the study of the evolution of the masers towards these objects up to a time-span of ~10 yr, measuring their radial velocities and proper motions. The H 2 O masers in VLA 3, the most massive YSO in AFGL 2591 (~30–40 M ), are grouped within projected distances of 40 mas (130 au) from VLA 3. In contrast to other H 2 O masers in AFGL 2591, the masers associated with VLA 3 are significantly blueshifted (up to ~30 km s –1 ) with respect to the velocity of the ambient molecular cloud. We find that the H 2 O maser cluster as a whole has moved westwards of VLA 3 between the 2001 and 2009 observations, with a proper motion of ~1.2 mas yr –1 (~20 km s –1 ). We conclude that these masers are tracing blueshifted outflowing material, shock excited at the inner parts of a cavity seen previously in ammonia molecular lines and infrared images, and proposed to be evacuated by the outflow associated with the massive VLA 3 source. The masers in the region of VLA 2 are located at projected distances of ~0.7 arcsec (~2300 au) north from this source, with their kinematics suggesting that they are excited by a YSO other than VLA 2. This driving source has not yet been identified.
Print ISSN:
0035-8711
Electronic ISSN:
1365-2966
Topics:
Physics
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